3 Reasons WHY Samurai Wore Slipper-like Shoes | The History of Waraji, Zori, and Geta

[@Green4CloveR]

One more observation I would like to add is that it RAINS A LOT in Japan. This influenced traditional architecture so that the homes sits sightly higher to the grown. This prevented water and mud to enter the living spaces. Your shoes and sandals would often be wet and muddy as well so you would have to leave your footwear at the entrance. Geta and other wooden sandals are also elevated to keep your feet dry and above the water level as you walk over wet streets and muddy roads.

[@talanbryant9410]

Why didn't we do that in UK?

[@Green4CloveR]

@@talanbryant9410 lack of trees?

[@LaurenceWilliamson]

@@Green4CloveR Used to be mostly forest in UK. Maybe its more like the culture didn't believe disease came from being dirty like the did in Japan??

[@Surestart]

@@talanbryant9410 I assume because it's difficult to make a stone house in this manner, and stone being preferable to wood for building in the British Isles because of the abundance of stones left behind when glaciers receded after the last major ice age. Larger stones needed to be removed from fields before they could be effectively plowed, usually resulting in them being stacked as walls and fences around the perimeter of the fields, but there would have been enough to also build the walls of structures from them as well. Japan is much further south than Britain and was not totally covered by ice sheets the way that the British Isles were, meaning stones of an appropriate size for building would have needed to be quarried rather than just picked up off the ground.

[@FF18Cloud]

@@talanbryant9410 because *industrial revolution* ... And what other people said...

[@azaelleal9282]

I was surprised that the first type of sandals it's called "Waraji" because it sounds almost identical to the ones made with leather straps that in Mexico we call "Huarache". It is considered a garment of the indigenous peoples and is part of some of their typical outfits. Saludos, amigo.

[@kassyyar97]

Pensé lo mismo! Que coincidencia

[@acephas3]

Olmecs

[@gabrielaarganaraz9113]

En el norte de Argentina guaracha o.o

[@aaronsilva9611]

same pronunciation... not almost identical, SAME!... for sure is a language integrarion... when and how?... homework for linguists

[@JorgeAguilar-ch9oe]

That is an excellent observation Azael!!

[@dragoncatoverload]

“Why do Japanese take off their shoes in the house” I think the better question is, why is anyone wearing shoes in the house in the first place?

[@phlippbergamot5723]

In the days before central air, people who lived in colder climates might wear them in the house to help keep their feet warm. A simple broom and mop takes care of most dirt that is brought inside by shoes.

[@vinht23]

@@phlippbergamot5723 Japan gets really cold too. I wonder how they kept their feet warm. I think Japanese people care more about cleanliness.

[@phlippbergamot5723]

@@vinht23 Different types of building and furniture styles account for it. Western people found a way to design ways to keep them from having to live and eat on the floor allowing for a greater tolerance of dirt on those floors, and keep their feet comfortable at all times rather than removing their shoes all the time.

[@XprawlerX]

​@@phlippbergamot5723wearing your shoes all day is the opposite of comfortable

[@Nazar_Melnyk]

​@@XprawlerXWell, it still would be better than to be barefoot at temperatures lower than 10°C on a cold floor...

[@KahiauT]

My mother learned to make zori from rice straw as a child in Japan. Now she occasionally makes them from tshirt strips for indoors.

[@mnk9073]

I saw what an asian mom can do with a flip-flop, I'd say the slippers were the most dangerous item a samurai carried...

[@srajanverma9064]

Thats so true!!🤣

[@joaofranco9751]

I think the Flying Flip-Flop style is well known worldwide in the Mom's Guild.

[@NATA5II]

Known by many names, la chancla is a formidable weapon and has been used by mothers since the dawn of time.

[@WalterLoggetti]

The "Ciabatta" fly often from the hand of the italian mothers...

[@ilijabosnjak76]

😂 😂 😂 Back home in Bosnia 🇧🇦 we have Opanak it’s very deadly when you get your mom mad 😡… RUN 🏃‍♂️ 😂

[@josequintero2627]

What i found super interesting was how the Japanese word for traditional slippers sounds very similar to the slipper like shoes that the Aztecs and Mayas used in the Americas, the word for this traditional Aztec/Maya slipper is "huarache" and the Japanese is "waraji", very interested to know the roots of these words and if they're somehow "related" in a sense.

[@keithklassen5320]

Probably just chance, languages and technology were both very much changed by the journey over the Bering land bridge and down thru the Americas.

[@zzBaBzz]

It all stems from one language ;)

[@sandralison7584]

Its doesn't sound similar at all. Completely different words

[@owlobsidian6965]

I noticed the same thing. Maybe it is a phonetic interpretation of the sound sandals make? And to anyone who thinks the word so not sound alike, let me clarify that "huarache" is pronounced like "warache".

[@anilover10]

This is literally the first thing that came to my mind when I heard it

[@Call-me-Al]

As a Scandinavian, wearing outdoor shoes inside seems very gross...

[@gabrielmajin5265]

most ppl in the world take their shoes off when they go inside....the ideea of bringing whatever its outside IN the house is insanity...i walk barefoot in my house...hard wood floors and thick rugs...the shoes inside the house and cheap carpet is an american thing

[@hugodogobob]

Yeah, I'm English and only the weird people wear shoes indoors

[@just1it1moko]

even in the netherlands its about 50/50 if people take their shoes off indoors.

[@jonangorman6341]

@@gabrielmajin5265 american wear outdoor shoes inside the house?

[@atlas4733]

As a Canadian I also find it revolting.

[@Braven-j7m]

I think this is the first time I have voluntarily watched a video about shoes. Really well made and informative, very enjoyable to watch.

[@momkatmax]

I heard that you remove your shoes due to the tatami mats being delicate enough to be dented by harder footwear. It saves money and is polite.

[@DnBastard]

i;d hazard a guess that delicate tatami mats were around first and were able to exist because people didn't walk over them in hard footware rather than the other way round

[@marocat4749]

It alo nice for the feet. Why would you wear the same outide and inside if inside its comfy softer.

[@EmperorSigismund]

Just about any flooring can be damaged. I remember having to endure hearing my aunt chew out my cousin after her 21st because all her friends lefts marks in the timber floor with their stiletto heels.

[@buenoloco4455]

In Finland you take your shoes of always when you enter in a house. You'll get beating/scolding and will be removed otherwise. Even walking barefoot inside house is more appropriate, but shoes are just common sense to leave near the outdoor

[@sharonbelcher9635]

Yes I have always made my kids remove their shoes when we visit or at home as he said look what your shoes bring in So many germs.

[@buenoloco4455]

@@sharonbelcher9635 Yes, But germs aside. No shoes even if you could eat on them

[@tb124.gaming]

Same in Hungary, my mom would beat me if entered our house with shoes

[@BillyJoe1305]

Yeah, it's not so much houses that's weird as it is public spaces.

[@Sundji]

@@buenoloco4455 Okay but why? At that point, it doesn't make sense to me. To me, the only reason I'd leave my shoes behind is that they're presumed to be dirty.

[@j0hndobile802]

Japan: Waraji = Sandal Mexican Spanish: Huarache = Sandal/Flip Flop o' Death

[@joesmith3829]

Chancleta: Mexican shuriken

[@Fitzn]

Thought the same when I first heard him pronounce it

[@deadpoet22]

My grandparents who have what people there call a more "indio" accent actually pronounce it "warachi". Sinaloa, northern region.

[@tehualilianblancoarizpe5729]

I was about to comment this! Really interesting similarity of words.

[@PaxImbrium]

Yo I was shocked by this too. This is too close to be a coincidence, Huaraches look damn near identical to the traditional Waraji pictured. I'm thinking there's got to have been some form of early Japanese cultural exchange with the new world.

[@lacrartezorok4975]

Here in Mexico we call flops Huaraches, from the purépecha kwarachi. It's an amazing coincidence.

[@frauleintrude6347]

I spent my free time during childhood summers in wooden slippers (In German Holzlatschen) and clogs. Best for hot summer days before the beach sandal came into fashion. I still like them. Bought some Geta in Japan, a little different but also nice to wear.

[@Mamoru0Hasukage]

I own about 3 pairs of waraji and some nice geta. Surprisingly, I ended up liking the geta more than I thought. They are traditional styled geta with two bars and not the tengu style.

[@IsaVarg]

I can't imagine wearing my outdoor shoes inside. You track in dirt and grass and all sorts of things and spread it all over your floor and your furniture. I remember someone telling me they keep them on because their feet are dirty! You can easily clean your feet, but having to clean your floors every day because you get dirt all over it seems like much more of a chore.

[@garydell2023]

Shoes are not worn in the house in Germany. This was interesting Shogo-san.

[@shiggon2804]

Some Germans actually do wear shoes at home. I have a couple of acquaintances who do wear them in the house.

[@AGS363]

@@shiggon2804 That is usually part of the north/south divide. Northeners are far more likely to wear shoes indoors than Southeners.

[@kogoromori30]

@@AGS363 Some in the South were shoes indoors, too. So I would say it's rather a cultural divide that most people are not aware of.

[@ShSwStudios]

@@kogoromori30 I believe it's a case of social backround in Germany. People raised in academic households tend to take of shoes indoors more often than those, who grew up in the working class. At least that's what I found to be true to people in the area of Hamburg, where I live.

[@sydneyslaughter7163]

Ohhhhh, maybe that’s where my grandma got it from; she lived in Germany for several years. Checks out, I’ll ask her

[@TrueHealth27]

I love your REGAL Leo energy!!! So dignified and proud of your culture! Great work!!!

[@Titopaivag3]

Fun fact, the "beach sandals" everyone wears are a staple of brazilian culture, specially in Rio de Janeiro, where we are known to wear then even when going out to malls or restaurants. I wonder if this sandal idea came from Japan with the immigration.

[@oliverm3589]

They are also everywhere here in New Zealand. We call them Jandals, which is short for Japanese Sandals. We wear them everywhere in summer. It's not uncommon to have an everyday pair and a nicer pair that can be worn to a bar, pub or restaurant.

[@galadballcrusher8182]

@@oliverm3589 funny enough we call the beach slippers in Greece by a certain word we use as noun which i think is related to them Japanese sandal ones type when it was first imported because said noun is based on a very Japanese word "sayonara" although as noun we even have a plural form "sayonares"....

[@firstandlastaliv3]

It's related to Japanese immigrants. They used to be called "japanese sandals" and then they rebrand the name.

[@sibral]

the brazilian sandals were inspired by the japanese Zori sandals and branded as "Havaianas" (hawaiians). As the slipper was not made of rice straw, but rubber, a texture based on grains of rice was included in the sole of the sandal.

[@cymond]

"Beach sandals" are frequently called "flip-flops" in my part of the USA. Some people like them and wear them everywhere, and line most things, they go in and out of fashion. My high school banned them because (supposedly) they were unsafe on the stairs.

[@AnonymousXIII]

It's worth pointing out that removing your shoes would also be a sign of respect for the owner of the house, or the person who cleans the floors. If you've never walked into a shop and found yourself walking over someone's just-mopped floor, you may not understand how awkward it is to realize you've just rendered all the work they did worthless.

[@kurtwisener6856]

Buddy, I could watch you talk about anything forever. Subbed so hard I chipped a nail.

[@ayush885]

The structuring of videos, the timestamps, and especially the conclusion is awesome.

[@petergarcia8225]

Just the history of Japanese Sandals and Shoes shows how resourceful Japanese people are. Thru warm weather to subzero temperatures.

[@veronikacsuri1629]

Here in Hungary, and as far as I know most part of EU, we take off our shoes after entering a home in the hall to keep the homes clean. Of course there are exceptions when someone says keep them on, especially if the floor is cold and there are no guest slippers. But using slippers is the common way :)

[@carmendelabellemotte7865]

No it is not the norm in Europe...some do but most don't

[@Idengard]

@@carmendelabellemotte7865 the only people I „know“ of leaving street shoes on in the house are Americans. And that I only „know“ from TV. Whom are you talking about?

[@frofro7134]

@@carmendelabellemotte7865 it is norm in europe. where are you from?

[@carmendelabellemotte7865]

@@Idengard I am from France and I also lived a quite significant time in Austria, Germany, UK and Ireland...taking off my shoes was never required...some ppl do it but they never ask their guests to do so...keep in mind that of course if it is muddy or snowing ppl will do it but eh we have outside carpets. The ones who take off their shoes only do it in the first floor if there are bedrooms and with carpet on the floor, but at the basement with floor tiles that's simply not the case .I am 44 and I met enough ppl so I guess my experience is valid.

[@carmendelabellemotte7865]

@@frofro7134 I am from France...it is let to the appreciation to our guests to take off or not their shoes...unless they make dirty your floor you don't mind.Whereas ppl in Asia would hate you , we don't if you keep your shoes on...never we ask our repair men or doctors or neighbours to take off their shoes...most ppl I have met said " oh it is OK you can keep your shoes " .The reason is simply , most houses don't have a special area at the entrance to store shoes and propose sleepers to your guests...then it is not very hygienic to wear sleepers from others and then it may be impolite to let your guests shoesless or bare feet..and if he has smelly feet, oh dear , please keep your feet in your shoes.🤣also we don't have a bad climate or bad roads so keep our shoes on will not make our place that dirty .

[@АртёмДубравин-ы6у]

I thought all three reasons would be "because leatherworking wasn't a thing" but I learned a lot instead. Thank you!

[@davidlyon4950]

I imagine that also had something to do with the form and material choice of footwear. Leather goods and leather workers were considered unclean in ancient Japan.

[@swordsmanfabian18]

@@davidlyon4950 I believe it's also why the traditional Japanese diet didn't include much red meat after Buddhism became a thing. Practically speaking, such animals were far more valuable as beasts of burden, but on a spiritual level they believed it to be bad karma to eat. I imagine this would extend to leather working.

[@1copar]

The walking on taka geta is just surreal, I saw it in a documentary once and the movement was mesmerising. Taka geta are stunning objects on their own. Your videos are so informative, the compact format is great and your presentation very charming. Thank you for putting so much effort and detail in them..you're joy to watch ad listen to.

[@jeffreyrobles7959]

It's funny to me how cultures seem to thrive from each other or at least were gifted with these ancient knowledge. When you mentioned Waraji... first thing that came to mind is the traditional "Guarache" from the Latin America area. Known for it durability due to the weaving of materials used

[@cecilyerker]

The similarities of the two words actually freaks me out

[@myushankaiswarm]

I’m Filipino and I’ve always wondered why we removed footwear before entering a house. This video made me curious so I searched it up for my culture, and it showed that it was a practice that was passed to us from the Japanese! Very interesting.

[@aradvila2000]

I don't understand the "please adjust speed". You talk in a perfect pace

[@Rakerong]

I consider it a 'respectable pace'. Shogo is teaching us things, and we can consume this knowledge without getting lost in fast talking, strange volume and pitches, and other such things more easily.

[@Sundji]

It's a bit slow at regular speed. He's not really going into very detailed information so it can be understood at a slightly faster rate without losing any of it's effectiveness and saving people a bit of time.

[@KingKamal47]

It's so you can customize the video to the speed you want it at. I love his videos at 1.5x, but some people like it at 1x or even 2x. It just depends on your personal preference.

[@matreen427]

it’s at a relaxing pace.

[@Rakerong]

@@KingKamal47 I didn't realize that. It sounds perfect for me at 1.25x speed, though I don't have a problem with it at normal pace.

[@XexusNH]

At the beginning of each video, I see a popup saying to raise the speed of the video to 1.25-2.0. I think you speak at just the right pace, and never feel the need to turn on subtitles. I know people do speed up videos for various reasons, but I don't think it needs recommending. I really like the honest and informative natures of your videos, unique compare to other videos I see on Japan.

[@raisaapriliani2717]

yeah me too, i thought its for copyright but i thought again "what? that doesnt make sense" and i thought again its because maybe he speak to slow, but its not..

[@raisaapriliani2717]

i never know people do speed up video for any reason tho, other than funny purpose

[@Nina-Jaza]

Thank u so much! i love japanese culture so much and from the moment i started watching you ,you have made me like it even more

[@kljawn212]

Very educational video, and very well organized. Thank you

[@timesthree5757]

In America we have a tradition of not taking off our shoes. 1. Many houses in the frontier period in the frontier had a earth floor. Wereing shoes keep your feet clean. 2. Many men wore high calf boots. They are a pain to put on take off. So you put yer boots on in the morning and take off in the evening.

[@utaeyokujou6290]

flip flops are my favorite kind of shoe, along with sneakers. glad to know their roots

[@A_Bottle-Of_Orange_Crush]

I injured my feet a couple years ago and wearing sneakers was pretty uncomfortable. I started wearing sandals at this time and, by the time my feet healed, I'd became so fond of the comfort and simplicity sandals offer that they've become my footwear of choice.

[@sydneyslaughter7163]

My cousins in the mountains always take off their shoes when entering my grandmother’s house. I never really knew why we were supposed to do that.

[@Pasharamus]

but walking with dirty shoes inside supposedly clean house makes perfect sense?

[@spindle7397]

@@Pasharamus haha I know. From where I'm from its common sense to take off shoes

[@jbangelofdeath]

taking off shoes: When I visited friends and while watching many historical stuff, I noticed tatami used a lot. If I remember correctly, ricestraw was also used (at least in winter) unwoven in less posh homes cleaning this from mud and such would have been a nightmare, so it makes sense to take off the dirty shoes at the entrance. As a European, I had more trouble with the bathroom-slipper-situation, because that was very unusual to me :) Thank you for trying to make it more understandable for foreigners :D

[@tturtle1659]

Errr... Shoes left at the entrance is also very common here in Austria, we wear sleepers inside. Makes perfect sense to me (particularly during winter time with all the mud/snow) and most people will _not_ be happy if you do not take off your shoes when coming into their homes, trust me! I think wearing shoes indoors is a UK/US (and other English-speaking countries) thing.

[@susanmojgani9844]

Not all English speaking counties - in Canada people remove their shoes at the door.

[@ruriva4931]

Even in US there are many households that don’t like people wearing shoes in the house. However it’s just not consistent. Like at my house my parents and I all don’t wear shoes but if we have guests over it’s fine if the don’t take off their shoes but usually the guests follow our customs. Generally when you go to someone’s house for the first time you would ask something like “should/can I take off my shoes?” But there is rarely ever a circumstance you would take off your shoes or where slippers/indoor shoes in a place that’s not a home like in Japan.

[@psychedashell]

Shoes left at the door is asking for some kind of bug to take up residence, bloody wolf spiders love them.

[@Sundji]

I just think that with the invention of pavement and the fact that people mostly travel by vehicle now, your shoes just don't get as dirty so there's less incentive to care

[@Pasharamus]

@@Sundji they don't get as dirty as before pavements but they still get dirty. I have walked barefoot in the city once, I cleaned my feet upon arriving home because they were dirty. And so are your shoes.

[@smilespires]

Found helpful. I still own my Geta shoes I had as a child while living in Japan. They are 60 years old now. Special to me. My father was in the Air Force. Japan is a special place in my heart still.

[@kickinthepants.8950]

I honestly love this channel no one bickers. My neighbor is from Tokyo so I watch one video a day to have something to talk to her about. She's a sweet little old lady.

[@dareka9425]

When I first started teaching years ago one of my seniors told me that Westerners are rude because they don't take their shoes in their houses and they called one another by their father's name(considered an insult in my country). I didn't even asked for that trivia but...ok. I could've retorted back that the Japanese also call each other by their family/last name but I was young so I just shrugged off his comments. There are reasons to other people's actions/culture and I have no right judge them based on my culture's standard.

[@mosasaurvideos50]

super video! I actually made waraji myself and can confirm that they are extremely comfy easy and cheap to make

[@maxibruga9403]

This is pretty interesting. In my family, we never wear street shoes inside unless there's a very special occasion or a guest. We always use slippers and it's also a great way to keep the house clean without street dirt

[@BarryB.Benson]

In Canada, it’s totally customary to take your shoes off when coming into a house, mainly because of the weather, you just don’t want to be walking around in the snow and mud and then walk into a house carrying all that dirty wetness into the house.

[@edwardoowew]

In the Philippines, we also take off our shoes, sandals, slippers and etc. whenever we go inside our homes or someone's home because it's our way of showing respect to the house owner and to the house itself.

[@H457ur]

I was a non-Pacific Islander who grew up in Guam (8 years of my first 14 were spent there). I remember that everyone called flip-flops, “Zories”, but I never knew where the name came from (this was the 70s and early 80s - no Internet). I never thought about them again once I left the island, but this is a pleasant reminder of my childhood.

[@Zushi_Tsunami]

Hello Shogo, I was wondering have you been watching the Olympics. If so what were your thoughts on the opening ceremony?

[@curaloucura]

as a practitioner of tea ceremony it is enlightening to learn why we use Setta instead of other traditional shoes

[@jeffbrownstain]

Im so glad you added the notice to boost the playback speed. I've been doing so a lot lately anyway and it's such a quality of life improvement for spamming content into your brain. Digging the channel already, bless the algorithm for my presence here.

[@JM-gs8vi]

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF THE ROUND HAT THE SAMURAIS USED TO WEAR?!?!!? IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THAT INFO EVERYWHERE!

[@Mamoru0Hasukage]

I can save you some trouble: hats or Kasa (which can also be translated as umbrella) don't have any special origins. Simply put, there were various types such as Jingasa which were worn by ashigaru (foot soldier, commonly not of samurai lineage) which were more or less cheap helmets in the shape of a kasa made of material like copper and wood. You also have Amigasa which are the woven rice hats you probably think of first. Normally a farmer's work hat, some ronin would wear them as well to stay in the shade. There are ronin gasa which can often hide the face, for who would want to show a known samurai's face if he no longer has his lord? Ronin often were treated as vagabonds and unsavory folk. The only type that has a unique story to it (other than kasa with family Mon, or crests on them) are Takuhatsugasa. These were speciality kasa made in the shape of a mushroom worn by monks to hide their identity so they can practice their religion and jobs without pressure from others. It covers two thirds of the face so getting eye contact wasn't as easy. An example of this style that comes to mind are any monk characters or characters wearing monks clothes. Say, muramasa in ninja gaiden 2 when he comes out of nowhere to help Ryu Hayabusa. That hat he wears in the scene is this type. A similar type to this is the bucket style kasa called the Fukamigasa. These, much like the previously mentioned takuhatsugasa, were meant for keeping identities hidden but were more like bucket styled masks and hats. There really isn't much to the origins, outside of the impact of Confucianism and Chinese cultural queues in around 600-700 ad. Remember, before such an event, Japan was primarily a country of hunters and gatherers as well as farmers. Now, it's possible they had kasa prior, but it is so ingrained into their history, there really isn't much of any special stories. Ultimately, it was simply hats used for either farm work, or identity hiding.

[@wissamalhashemi5548]

​@@Mamoru0Hasukage It's nice to see someone like me who also comments on people's comments with long explanations of things, I appreciate you man, even though I have no interest in the subject mentioned at all lol +rep

[@Mamoru0Hasukage]

@@wissamalhashemi5548 xD a fair interpretation and appreciated none the less. I'm passionate about japanese history, so if it makes shogo's job a bit easier, I'm all for it xD

[@cybertonto72]

I read something years ago that said the use of weaved rice straw as foot wear came about due to them giving you grip while walking in water. Either in a rice field or fishermen in a river. Not sure if this was the case but thought it was a great idea

[@bendirval3612]

You didn't mention that they probably had less leather around due to the large number of vegetarians.

[@cecilyerker]

You also don’t have as much inland land mass to graze livestock

[@NiaJustNia]

I couldn't imagine having to constantly keep shoes on, slippers and bare feet are so much more comfortable

[@Balinux]

And completely unprotected.

[@NiaJustNia]

@@Balinux I have to constantly wear hard sole slippers atm because my MIL smashes things constantly, so your risk of cutting your feet is really high. I had a friend stay over and had to buy her slippers

[@fireycostar9595]

@@Balinux Callouses are usually formed to better protect from sharp rock and such.... think of it as flesh armor.

[@Balinux]

@@fireycostar9595 Ye, no thanks.

[@Sundji]

It's the opposite for me. I love shoes and would feel way more comfortable with them on anywhere that's not my house or the beach

[@jonathanwamble9340]

what a resource of knowledge about Japanese history. I lived outside of Kyoto for a while and always liked to see the couples wearing Kimono but wondered if those shoes were very keiteki

[@0therun1t21]

Thank you Shogo! These shoes are dope! All of them. I love how gravel stuck in the straw helps them last longer. Geta are the most comfortable sandal type shoes I've ever worn, it's possible to run in them too, depending on the terrain. I'd love to try tengu style! I love platforms, I wish for some maiko and queen oiran shoes, at least to look at.

[@royshaheer]

I want theese so bad! Especially the first 4 of them.

[@saintpaulsnail]

Well organized and informative

[@Idengard]

I can‘t imagine slippers with only a toe strap would be beneficial for running, fighting or even walking - also due to what you said, they make you focus more on your feet, how could you fight better when you constantly have to take care you don‘t lose your shoes? Also, they make you have to clamp your toes to them cos otherwise you‘d slip around on them. It makes for really awkward walking. Also, while the wooden slippers with the two blocks underneath are surely good for keeping your feet dry, I doubt they won‘t sink in on mud - you decrease the size of the parts your weight rests on, so if anything, they will make you more likely to sink in mud

[@tacostastegreat5557]

Bruh, have you tried it? You're talking to someone who has experienced it and has a profession in this

[@quijybojanklebits8750]

@@tacostastegreat5557 ever run in flipflops? It's a recipe for disaster.

[@tacostastegreat5557]

@@quijybojanklebits8750 I've hiked and climbed snow in slides, you can do it fine with practice.

[@SteelWolf13]

I have listened to youtube vids at 2x speed for about 3 years now. Very handy.

[@kileygarrett2141]

Thank you for the captioning instructions! My auto-caps always goes to auto generate, and your captions are so helpful and informative!

[@therealjoshuacaleb4873]

Learn something new everyday. Thanks Shogo.

[@Houd_Vast]

Love how your feet are raised with the Geta. Very iconic look for a westerner like me.

[@poetmaggie1]

Well presented. I have been to Japan and I found their clothes and shoes very beautiful, and I seldom wear shoes in the house since I visited Japan. Also there were the house shoes.

[@louislamonte334]

I love wearing geta, setta & zori! I also love traditional Japanese men's clothing!! Thank you for your very fascinating channel! Happiest of New Year's!

[@nostromo9743]

What are thoooooooooose?!

[@agingerbeard]

Great video I learned so much. It's amazing how long some styles stayed the same! Thanks for sharing this 😃🖒

[@thepunadude]

BOUGHT MY 1ST GETAS IN '68 ... FINDING SZ 13'S IN JAPAN WAS ... INTERESTING

[@sushirabbit167]

Just saw your video pop up in my home feed and I loved it! Great content. Adding to my subs for sure!

[@remliqa]

Here in Malaysia , it is pretty customary to take off your shoes before entering a home (at least among the Malays). These is due to acclimate here being hot and humid with huge level of precipitation all year , which lead to lots of mud on the ground . Because of theses sandals are preferable for nor formal/non-professional application as it is easier to take off and easier to breathe. The type of sandal that is rather popular here is colloquially called "Japanese slippers", or flip flops for the rest of the world.

[@P810P]

In New Zealand we also remove our shoes before entering houses and marae (which are mostly used for tangis/funerals) because it’s respectful and to keep the marae clean and so it has been passed down to peoples homes and at schools that have a whare (I can’t be bothered explaining)

[@ellengarbarino7944]

I grew up in the San Francisco area in the 60's-70s and we all called the things you refer to as 'beach shoes' or 'flip flos', zorris (even though neither me nor my friends had any Japanese roots), just what they were called there at that time. Due to the local migration patterns, I guess.

[@immanuellimbong4802]

as Indonesian, we have same culture to take off the shoes before entering the house, everybody in Indonesia always to do it.

[@forgidendrogo]

This is very interesting, the Waraji shares several similarities with a type of sandal we use un Mexico called Guarache or Huarache; the traditional Huarache was made of cotton but changed to leather strips after the Spanish colonization, it is very curious how 2 types of shoes from that far away and that long ago shares the composition of the shoe and even the pronunciation but historians concluded that is just a mere coincidence

[@mauxmere]

I just realized waraji sounds a lot like huarache. I wonder if there is some shared etimology root

[@deadinsidemcgee411]

That’s actually very interesting in regards to peddles making the straw shows more difficult.

[@donavanalexander5236]

I wish I could always wear slippers

[@peteengard9966]

I've worn steel toed work boots six days a week up to sixteen hours a day for over 45 years. Now I wear a pair of Crocs and love them.

[@mythologiasend3264]

I can't imagine wearing this type of shoes to walk more than 5 minutes. To me is REALLY hard to run in slippers, they slip away too easily and is hard to control movements.

[@cecilyerker]

You can’t run in kimono anyway

[@unknownnbased1745]

This video was extremely intriguing and informative

[@EscapeYourFate7]

Wow. This information was presented so well I am just sitting here in awe. Thank you for this and all of your content

[@impswarm5577]

Can we all agree that wearing shoes inside a house is an only USA thing and in every other country you dont walk with dirty shoes inside?

[@srajanverma9064]

true true!!

[@Sundji]

why are your shoes getting dirty regularly?

[@impswarm5577]

@@Sundji because i have to touch the ground with my shoes ^^ i cant fly

[@WanJae42]

I know far more people who wear shoes in the house in England than the US. So, no, can't agree with your generalization.

[@srajanverma9064]

@@WanJae42 the question is why do they do that?

[@lennyramirez51]

Oh my!! I always wonder about those shoes,but now,I have you to give me inside about your beautiful culture!! Thank You🙏🥰

[@luthaeris1]

Why do you have to take off shoes in the house?? Simple, hygiene🤷

[@slimetank394]

The real question is why the hell would you wear your outdoor shoes inside your house? Especially if you or your family member care enough to clean the floors.

[@dcss89]

The Geta was also common in Netherlands at some point in History. My father came from a small dutch settlement formed here in Brazil during the european colonization, and he told me every kid used to wear Geta like sandals there.

[@aelfycarcini3992]

Es muy curioso cómo en México, en un tiempo similar, se crearon los kwarachi, los huaraches por parte de la cultura purépecha. Sobre todo porque incluso son similares en estructura y materiales.

[@DK-vx5co]

We lived near Tachikawa for several years and I loved the custom of removing shoes indoors. Not bringing filth into the house was the best reason for me. Also, we lived in Germany where they LOVE their white carpets. So, of course we removed our shoes there too. Now it's just natural and relaxing. I could no more wear shoes inside my home than most people could wear their shoes to bed, or to lick the bottoms of those shoes. Outside is, well, filthy and it's nice when most of that stays there...outside. Thanks for sharing.

[@Caprieu]

Thanks Mateo from Superstore, that was an cool video

[@DnBastard]

it's interesting how the geta and dutch wooden clogs had similar practical origins. clogs are also supposed to be really good for walking in mud and fields which was why they were supposedly invented, as a kind of farmer's boot for the swampy marshy land of the polders. many farmers in the country still use them to this day

[@franklinlucaslima]

I’m amazed how Waraji is similar to Huarache, both in pronunciation and in style!! Those two peoples definitely shared the same knowledge!!

[@jstantongood5474]

Many many countries now take shoes off at the entrance of houses. Italy much of Germany China list goes on and on. Even in the USA, with the decline in public sanitation in large cities in the west coast. LA San Francisco and on the east coast. Philadelphia, NYC Boston, Washington DC Baltimore, it has now become quite common for families to take off shoes at the entrance.

[@dianabenobo]

The first shoes discovered by archaeologists in the Americas look like waraji. They are the Sagebrush bark sandals from Fort Rock Cave which are similar to specimens radiocarbon dated from 10,500-9,300 years old. Today in Mexico there is a Spanish word huarache (waˈratʃe ) or huaracho (waˈratʃo ) noun. a sandal with flat heels and an upper of woven leather strips, originally worn by indigenous Mexicans. Huarache comfort is legendary. Its secret is in those handwoven strips of soft leather. The word "huarache" comes from the Purépecha word kwarachi, which translates to "sandal" in English. The shoes originated in rural communities in the pre-Columbian era in the states of Jalisco, Michoacan, Guanajuato, and Yucatan, with each region specializing in different styles. Today, huaraches can be found for sale from various artisans in Mexico, including those in Chiapas, Leon, Guanajuato, and Sahuayo, Michoacan.

[@diymicha2]

these wooden flip flops were also worn in medieval europe for muddy or wet city streets. in Germany they were called "Trippen"

[@MatthewBaileyBeAfraid]

Oh! Oh! The “Barrier” (my first time through University actually focused upon Comparative Myths and Arts. I was fortunate to have an idol of mine, Joseph Campbell, as a professor for a couple of classes (at least for ⅓ of each class). And when we studied the Japanese Ayakasi/Yōkai, and the Onmiyōji who typically were charged (along with Shinto and Buddhist Priests), with exorcising of said Ayakasi/Yōkai, that the first think the Onmiyōji did was to examine the entryways for various features that could have broken that “barrier” created by Doors/Windows. Thus why the various seals and such that were placed in these regions as well (similar to the Western Traditions of Jewish Doorways, and the various Myths, such as the Carpathian Vampire who is unable to pass through a doorway without an invitation. The Viking Draugr and “Zombies” were also like this, where they could not pass many Doorways into a roofed structure without being accompanied by the Living). But one of the things that was mentioned were Yōkai that would try to sneak into the house by putting its feet into a person’s shoes. If the person forgot to take-off their shoes at the entryway, then the Yōkai/Ayakashi then could “infect/haunt/possess” that home, or the inhabitants thereof (usually consuming parts of their “soul” or ‘Mitama’, which came in either four or seven “flavors” for lack of a better word… in English at least, and my Japanese is too rusty to be trusted).

[@twangerrrrrr]

this was more interesting than i thought it would be

[@monikagrosch9632]

When I was a child in Germany many years ago we used to change our shoes to special house shoes ( many people do that till today )

[@hartfordsmoke]

Absolutely no idea why i sat here and watched this start to finish, but I did it. It's done.

[@juanfacundomendozabari8589]

hmm... i always wondered. i'm looking forward to finishing this video

[@crisjapopcris1564]

I'm Brazilian, here flip flops are called by the brand name "Havaianas". Heard that the first rubber flip flops were made in Hawaii by Japanese immigrants based on zouri Idea, but with recicled tires and left and right foot design. They were practical for walking on sand and washable and that's why they're now so popular.

[@Phydeos]

So this showed up in my youtube feed so now I know something about japanese samurai. Unexpected but thanks.

[@chrismaws6801]

Wow thank you this is very informative and I like the smile respect and understanding of countries outside Japan in your videos.

[@zefini]

In Brazil it's very common to wear a zori like sandal made famous by the brand Havaianas, part of cultural exchange with Japan

[@jonlannister345]

Waraji look like they're amazing. Looks like they have a similar effect to wearing ancient Roman sandal boots but are lower profile so you could get away with it more easily in the modern day without causing too much attention to be drawn.

[@TheFirstManticore]

Rice straw must be better than the strawwe use in the US, to make such functional shoes. In the Roman Empire, soldiers had shoes rather resembling warija, but of leather and lacing higher on the legs. Apparently this style is great for marching long distances and going through wet and dry and uneven terrain.